Structural Violence in the Context of Drug Policy and Initiatives Aiming to Reduce Drug-Related Harm in Contemporary Brazil: A Review

Abstract

Brazil, the 6th largest world economy, has experienced rapid economic, demographic, and social structural changes during the last decade. Notwithstanding, Brazil being one of the most unequal societies worldwide, 40 million of 200 million Brazilians have moved from poverty to middle-class standards during this period. This review analyzes the success of different Brazilian initiatives aiming to reduce drug consumption-related harms, as well as the failed attempts to curb structural violence, despite some very recent initiatives have yet to be fully implemented and evaluated

Keywords :

• injection drug users (IDUs)
• crack cocaine
• harm reduction strategies
• structural violence
• drug law reform

THE AUTHORS

Francisco I. Bastos, M.D., Ph.D. is a Senior Researcher and former Chair of Graduate Studies in Epidemiology at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ). He has been the Principal Investigator on a number of large, multicity studies on HIV and other blood-borne infections and STIs, including the ongoing national survey on crack cocaine and associated harms. He has published extensively on HIV and the misuse of substances. He is a member of the editorial board of Substance Use and Misuse, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and The International Journal of Drug Policy. His areas of interest are: AIDS among injecting and noninjecting drug users, methods to assess hard-to-reach populations, and management and care of stimulants.

Notes

1 AIDS activism has been very strong in Brazil, but its connection with drug policy reform is protracted vis-à-vis prompt responses targeting discrimination against sexual minorities and the safety of blood and blood products (as comprehensively reviewed by Galvao, 2000).

2 United Nations agencies must work in harmony with international treaties and the official positions of its voting members (i.e., the legal representatives of every single country, worldwide). On the other hand, the IHRA is a nongovernmental association of people who voluntarily seek membership.